Protest twelve years of torture! Protest twelve years of shame!
We will meet at the corner of NW 36th Street and NW 87th Ave at 2PM and march to SOUTHCOM for a rally with speeches from some amazing organizations and activists, including Nancy Mancias from CODEPINK's national War Criminals and Ground the Drones campaigns. Also included in the protest will be artwork from internationally renowned artist, Huong.
In December 2013, the General responsible for opening the prison wrote a column calling for its immediate closure. US Marine Major General Michael Lehnert called the whole strategy wrong and a huge mistake that involved the senseless torture and detainment of men accused of no crime and with little or no new information to offer. Meanwhile, Senate is set to vote on the National Defense Authorization Act which would ease restrictions on transferring detainees from Guantanamo Bay to other countries. This bill is not a solution but a small and important first step in the direction of finally closing the prison down and ending the torture of its prisoners.
January 11 marks an international day of action, as thousands of people across the globe protest Guantanamo Bay's 12 year anniversary. Join us in Miami as we march on the Headquarters of United States' Southern Command to demand the United States Close Guantanamo Bay Now!
SOUTHCOM is a location of international significance, as it is one of nine Unified Combatant Commands set up by the Department of Defense. It is the command station for Guantanamo Bay and maintains control over Joint Task Force Guantanamo. Its sphere of influence spans from the Caribbean to Central and South America. From its headquarters in Doral, SOUTHCOM has directed multiple destabilization efforts and military ventures in Latin America and it maintains control over Joint Task Force Guantanamo.
Official Sponsors of this event include:
People's Opposition to War, Imperialism, and Racism (POWIR)
CODEPINK - Miami
Veterans for Peace - Miami
Amnesty International - Chapter 248
Miami for Peace and Justice
Progressive Democrats of America - Miami
Green Party- Broward and Miami-Dade
Students for Justice in Palestine at FAU
World Can't Wait
Background on Gitmo:
In November 2001, President George W. Bush authorized the detention of any suspected Al-Qaeda members by newly-created military commissions. Anyone considered considered “unlawful enemy combatants,” would be captured, tortured, and locked up in prison cells at Guantanamo Bay.
779 men have been sent to Guantanamo Bay without trial and have been jailed without ever having been officially charged with any crime. As of November 2013, over 160 prisoners remain locked up, most of whom have been detained there for over seven years.
War Criminals Watch Events 
